


Isn't it obvious?

by SumOfAllThings



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Abduction, Alpha Diego Hargreeves, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Bad Parenting, Ben Hargreeves Deserves Better, Canon-Typical Violence, Death, Ghosts, Good Brother Klaus Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, M/M, Non-Consensual Touching, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Obsession, Omega Klaus Hargreevess, Protective Diego Hargreeves, Stalking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2019-11-08 05:12:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 14,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17975090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SumOfAllThings/pseuds/SumOfAllThings
Summary: Klaus stared at his reflection with a numb sort of indifference. He knew he needed to shower, to brush his hair and teeth; he needed to wipe away the sweat and blood and find a clean change of clothes.“Come on, Klaus,” Ben urged gently, standing anxiously at his shoulder with his hand poised -- to what? Offer comfort, support? Impossible -- Klaus couldn’t muster the energy to raise his head, he was incapable of making Ben corporeal. “You’re OK. Everything’s going to be OK.”“Of course it is,” Klaus said, pressing his uninjured hand against the bruise blooming on his jaw. He drew in a shuddering breath and released a brittle pearl of laughter. “It always is.”*****************Set in the 'fixed' future. Everyone is alive and the family are trying to get there lives in order.





	1. I'm fine

**Author's Note:**

> Having binge-watched the show, I am now utterly obsessed with Klaus. 
> 
> That is all.

Klaus stared at his reflection with a numb sort of indifference. He knew he needed to shower, to brush his hair and teeth; he needed to wipe away the sweat and blood and find a clean change of clothes.

“Come on, Klaus,” Ben urged gently, standing anxiously at his shoulder with his hand poised -- to what? Offer comfort, support? Impossible --Klaus couldn’t muster the energy to raise his head, he was incapable of making Ben corporeal. “You’re OK. Everything’s going to be OK.”

“Of course it is,” Klaus said, pressing his uninjured hand against the bruise blooming on his jaw. He drew in a shuddering breath and released a brittle pearl of laughter. “It always is.”

“You need to tell the others.”

As if they’d believe him; _as if they’d even care_. “What I need is a shower.”

“Aren’t you supposed to -- I mean, shouldn’t you see a doctor first?”

Klaus threw his ‘ _technically_ ’ little brother a blank look. He stepped away from the mirror and jerkily removed his torn and bloody shirt. He felt like one of his old toy soldiers, rigid and graceless. Everything hurt, but it was manageable. He’d had worse.

“Please Klaus, you can barely stand up. You need help.”

He made a dismissive gesture and fumbled with his trousers, tearing himself free with a quiet groan of pain. “Stop nagging,” he said softly, trying not to sound as broken as he felt. “My head is pounding. I need a drink -”

“Tell Diego,” Ben urged and he sounded so anxious that Klaus actually felt sorry for him. “He’s just across the hall. He’ll help you.”

 _Yeah, not going to happen._ Klaus stood up on shaking legs and switched on the shower. He stared at the warm flow of water, contemplating how much it was going to hurt manoeuvring into the tub when a sudden thud against the door sent him stumbling to one knee in fright _._

 _Jesus,_ his heart felt like it was going to hammer its way out of his goddamn chest.

“Hurry your ass up, Klaus,” Luther shouted from the other side of the door, his tone impatient and irritated. _When was it not?_ “We’re having a meeting.”

“I-I’ll be there in a - in a minute,” Klaus shouted back, stepping awkwardly and painfully into the shower. He scrubbed every available inch of his skin, trying to ignore the feeling that he’d never truly be clean again. He would get over it eventually. He always did.

“He didn’t even get his dick wet,” Klaus said, his laughter turning into a choked-off sob as he wrapped his arm firmly around his waist. “It’s not like he -”

“No,” Ben said, painfully gentle as he watched Klaus stumble out of the tub. “He didn’t.”

Klaus nodded his head solemnly and slowly shuffled to his room. He spent a few, challenging minutes changing into one of Allison’s skirts, _which was now his skirt_ , and an oversized black sweater. He pulled on a pair of Diego's socks and a grubby pair of boots and went back to the mirror.

So yeah, he looked messed up on a monumental level, but then he always looked that way. “Nothing to see here,” he sniggered, grabbing an oversized scarf and winding it snuggly around his neck. “Business as usual.”

Ben looked so, _so_ disappointed.

Internally shrugging, Klaus stepped out of his room, passing Grace on his way to the stairs.

“Hello dear,” she said, smiling that serene, beautiful smile of hers. She was on her tiptoes, dusting the already spotless ceiling.

“Hey mom,” he answered, smiling back at her. It took so little to make mom happy. He wished everyone was as easy to please.

All of his brothers were seated in the living room when he arrived. The girls hadn’t arrived yet; fuck knew why Luther was in such a rush to get him there. He kept his head down and threw them a cheery little wave, ignoring their clear irritation as he carefully sat down beside Diego. The other man subtly scented him, his eyes widening in understanding as Klaus smirked widely back at him.

Diego's eyes narrowed. “What the hell?” he asked, cradling Klaus’s head and guiding his face towards the light. “Did someone hit you?”

Klaus opened his mouth, about to spurt some grade-a bullshit when Luther smashed his fist against the wall and Klaus jumped half a foot in the air.

“Jesus,” number one bellowed, covering his nose and leaning back. “You stink. What the hell is the matter with you?”

“I just showered,” Klaus said, feeling a little defensive. He moved out of Diego’s grasp and sniffed his armpit. He thought he smelled fine, though admittedly it wasn’t like his own scent would bother him.

“You should have said you were in heat,” he said, accusing.

Klaus shrugged, unconcerned. “You’re the one that insisted I come downstairs.”

“Go back to your room.”

“But I just got here -”

“Your room,” number one yelled, pointing upstairs. “We’ll fill you in later.”

“Make up your mind,” Klaus mumbled, mistakenly using his bad arm to push himself to his feet. Instant, white-hot agony shot up his wrist and he cried out, his legs crumpling before he hit the floor with a solid thud. “Ouch,” he said weakly.

_Ouch -- fucking understatement of the goddamn universe._

“Jesus, Klaus,” Diego said, his arms wrapping around the slighter man’s waist as he helped prop him up. “Are you OK?”

“Tell them,” Ben urged, dropping down opposite Klaus and shuffling closer.

“Shut up,” Klaus hissed.

“I’m just trying to help,” Diego said unhappily.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Klaus said, glaring at Ben.

Ben stuck his tongue out in retaliation.

“Isn’t it obvious?” number one asked. “He’s high.”

“It’s obvious he’s got a broken wrist,” Five said, sounding bored as he picked up a steaming cup of coffee. “He needs to go to the hospital.”

Klaus looked up and realised everyone was lwatching him. He cradled his arm to his chest and grinned brightly. “Nonsense, I’m fine. Everything is A-OK.”

“Hold it,” Diego said, grabbing the back of his shirt and effectively keeping him in place. “Is Five right? Is your wrist broken?”

“It’s fine,” Klaus repeated, flinching back when Diego tried to grasp his injured arm. He gave his brother a wan smile and attempted to stand back up, but Diego wasn’t letting go.

“What happened?” he asked, his face worryingly flat.

“They’re listening,” Ben said gently. “This is your chance.”

Klaus felt his lips stretch into a smile he didn’t feel. He twitched and shrugged. “I fell over. Clumsy me.”

“You’re lying,” Diego said, his teeth gritted. “Tell me what the hell happened?”

“You have to ask?” Five laughed, his face scrunched up in distaste. He looked around the room, staring at each of them in turn. “Seriously? An Omega, an Omega in heat, out in the open. An Omega that _looks_ like Klaus. Do I need to spell it out for you?”

_He was going to kill the little bastard._

“Wait a minute,” Luther said, moving clumsily to his feet. “Were you attacked?”

_Number one was an idiot._

“It’s fine. I handled it.”

“It looks like they beat the shit out of you,” Diego said, moving to cup his cheek.

Klaus flinched back at the last second. “You should have seen the other guy,” he laughed, trying to stand again. “Diego, let go would ya?”

“I’m taking you to the hospital,” the other man said, standing up and dragging Klaus with him.

Luther seemed ready to follow them. “We still have to discuss -”

“I am taking him to the goddamn hospital,” Diego growled, fingering his dagger in a way that made Klaus decidedly uncomfortable. “Back off.”

He didn’t wait for number one's response, wrapping his arm around Klaus’s waist and practically carrying him out of the room.

“I really don’t wanna go to the hospital,” Klaus said, stumbling as Diego forced him to the front door. “Can’t mom just patch me up, or Pogo?”

“We’re going,” the shorter man said, not looking at him as he dragged Klaus to his car. “Now sit your ass down. You and I are going to have a chat.”


	2. Tooth and Nail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooooooooooo new chapter :P

“I swear to god, if you don’t stop fighting me I am going to literally drag you in there by your hair.”

“Kinky,” Klaus said, grinning brightly as he tried to avoid Diego’s grabby hands. “Hey, careful. I’m injured.”

“Which is why I’m trying to take you to the hospital,” the shorter man grumbled, grabbing Klaus by the waist and tugging.

“Ow, seriously Diego. _Owwwwwwww_.”

“For fuck sake, stop fighting me,” Diego snapped, managing to get Klaus’s lower torso out the car. “You’re going. End of story.”

Klaus looked past Diego’s shoulder and realised a couple of spirits were watching them. He flipped them the bird and turned to glare at the other man.

“Don’t give me that look,” his brother growled, loosening his hold a little as they locked eyes. “This is for your own good.”

“You sound just like dear old dad,” Klaus said, laughing bitterly. “Everyone else always knows best.”

“Not that I ever want to be compared to that sadistic prick, but you’re damn straight I do,” the other man said, helping him to stand up. “Put your arm around my shoulder and lean into me.”

Klaus considered fighting, but deep down he knew it was pointless; Diego wouldn’t give up until he got his way. The man could be maddingly persistent when he wanted to be “They're staring,” he whispered, hiding his face against the shorter man’s hair as he was guided across the carpark and into the hospital.

“Don’t you normally like it when people watch you?” Diego asked, his tone playful.

“He doesn’t get it,” Ben said, following them. “He’s not a mind reader. Just tell him.”

“They’re everywhere,” he gasped, shaking his head furiously. “Seriously Diego, can we just leave. Please?”

He wasn’t surprised when his brother finally hesitated -- Diego always was a soft touch when it came to begging, maybe because, despite everything he so rarely resorted to pleading. “We need to get you checked out,” he said, sounding a little wrecked. “Is it...are there a lot of them?”

 _Bingo_.

“So much death,” he said, finally looking up. He didn’t realise he was crying until Diego thumbed away his tears. “Hospitals are always bad. _Always_.”

“We won’t be long. Is Ben here?”

Klaus looked to his left and Ben gave him a little wave. “Yeah, he’s here.”

_He’s always here._

“Just stay focused on me and Ben, OK? We’ll get you looked at, fixed up and then we can all go home. When we get back we can do whatever you like.”

“Anything?” Klaus asked, allowing an evil smile to spread over his lips.

Diego shuddered. “Within reason.”

They reached the front desk and came to an abrupt stop. Klaus saw the speculative way the beta receptionist was watching them, the way she unsubtly scented him and how her eyes travelled over the bruises and sweat covering his face. He could easily see where her mind was going. Before Diego could say anything Klaus flopped over the desk and rested his face in his good hand. “Hi,” he said brightly. He looked down at her name tag and swept his tongue sensuously over his lips. “Do you come here often?”

“Stop it,” Diego hissed, sounding a little frantic as he hoisted Klaus back against his chest. “My brother needs to see a doctor,” he said in his usual, no-nonsense tone. “His arm’s broken.”

“He’s in heat,” the beta said flatly.

“Why thank you for noticing,” Klaus said brightly.

Ben sniggered.

The receptionist did not look impressed. “Name?”

“Klaus Hargreeves,” Diego said, his voice pitched low. They both saw the flicker of recognition in her eyes. _Not good._

“Date of birth?”

 _Shit_. “Diego, maybe we should -”

“1 October 1989,” the other man interrupted, squeezing Klaus’s side in a manner he imaged was supposed to be comforting.

“You said his arm was broken?”

“ _He’s_ standing right here,” Klaus said, gesturing at himself. “He even knows how to talk.”

“He was assaulted,” Diego said, entirely ignoring him. _Rude_.

The receptionist gaze narrowed and Klaus leaned back despite himself. “To clarify, he was out during his heat and was assaulted?”

Diego’s hold tightened to the point of pain. “Excuse me?”

The receptionist clearly didn’t realise the danger she was in. “I need all of the facts to ensure he receives adequate care. Was he sexually assaulted.”

Klaus flinched so violently he thought his bones were going to crack. He could hear the ghosts in his ear, calling his name -- begging him for help -- he couldn’t stand it, he _wanted out._

“This ladies kind of a tool, huh?” Ben asked, whispering directly in his ear. He was trying to distract him and help drown out the voices. Klaus wished he could hug him.

“Clearly she’s in need of a little tension relief,” he answered, laughing into Diego’s shoulder. “And maybe some lessons on equal rights.”

He didn't hear exactly what Diego was saying to the receptionist but her very clear scent of fear made Klaus's nose wrinkle.

“Come on,” Diego muttered, hefting his weight. “Time to sit down.”

He was led to a common room, full of sick and injured people. Lots of them were staring, clearly having picked up on Klaus’s scent. _Fantastic_ , now he was the centre of everyone's attention, living and dead.

“How long do we have to wait?” he asked, aware he was dangerously close to whining. 

“It won’t be long. They’re going to want to get us out of the common area as quickly as possible.”

Klaus nodded tiredly and rested his head against Diego’s shoulder. His arm was really starting to ache and all he really wanted to do was down a litre of vodka and pass out. He was sure Pogo could have fixed him up, it seemed unnecessary to bring him to the hospital. Unless of course, Diego thought he needed slightly more _invasive_ care.

“I wasn’t raped,” he said softly against the side of his brothers neck. He felt Diego stiffen and pressed his face more firmly against his shoulder. “I know you think I was, but he didn’t get that far. I stopped him.”

“What _did_ he do?”

Klaus flinched. “Felt me up,” _Tried to make me suck his cock._ “Knocked me around a little.” S _tarted jerking it over me as I lay sobbing on the ground._

“How did you stop him?”

Klaus hesitated.

“What did you do?”

“I bit him.”

“Bit him where?”

Despite himself, Klaus sat back and showed Diego a toothy grin. “Where do you think?”


	3. What you deserve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it time for season two yet :P

He looked away, unable to hold her gaze. Death during childbirth...not a nice way to go. She kept asking after her kid, crying and eventually shrieking at him to bring her back. She still wore the hospital gown she’d died in, her eyes wide and her hair a dishevelled mess.

“Klaus, send her away,” Ben said, exuding calm. “You know you can do it. You’re stronger than this.”

 _Not today_ , Klaus thought tiredly. “I don’t know where she is,” he whispered, shaking his head as she crowded him, her clawed hands raised to tear his eyes out. He lifted his good hand to his ear and tried to block out the sound of her screams.

“He’s hallucinating,” the doctor said, his expression oozing concern as he drew back Klaus’s sleeve and traced his hand down old, faded track marks. “He’s a user?”

Klaus’s eyes shot open at that. He met the doctor’s gaze as he drew back his injured arm. “I’m sober,” he said indignity, turning to glare at Diego. “Can we hurry this along?”

“He _really_ is sober,” Diego agreed, placing a hand on Klaus’s shoulder and squeezing gently. “He’s - he’s a recovering addict, but he’s clean.”

“Traitor,” Klaus hissed at him.

The Doctor pursed his lips -- he didn't believe them -- but clearly decided to let the matter drop. He lifted an x-ray and pointing towards a noticeable crack in the bone. “His arm is definitely broken, I’m afraid. Thankfully it’s a clean break. He’ll need to wear a cast, but luckily he won’t require surgery.”

“Fine, just get on with it,” Diego said, his tone testy enough to catch Klaus’s attention. He looked up and realised his brother was hovering protectively over him. _Weird_.

“His records indicate he was assaulted,” the doctor said softly, his gaze flickering to Klaus as the woman continued to scream abuse at him for ignoring her. “Do you want a sexual assault forensic exam carried out?”

“No,” Klaus said immediately, glaring between them. If Diego tried to fight him Klaus would go atomic on their asses.

The doctor’s gaze remained fixed on Diego.

“You heard him,” his brother said evenly. “He said no.”

“Very well,” the other man agreed, though it was clear by his tone that he wasn’t happy about it. “A nurse will be along shortly to wrap his arm,” he finally turned back to Klaus and his expression was full of a million emotions he was too tired to try and unravel. “I wish you a speedy recovery master Hargreeves.”

He was only a little surprised when Diego growled. Klaus didn’t hesitate in flipping the doctor the bird.

 

****************************

 

“Well that was hellish,” Klaus said brightly as he rested back against Diego’s crappy car seat. “Can we go home now?”

“Sure,” his brother said, sounding as tired as Klaus felt. Diego turned on the engine and looked at him expectantly. “Your seatbelt.”

Easier said than done with one arm. Klaus struggled for a few awkward seconds before Diego pushed his hand away and buckled him in. “How are you holding up?”

Klaus raised his cast cheerfully. “It hurts like hell, but some painkillers might help.”

“Nice try, bro. How about, when we get home, we ask mom to make you a nice cup of cocoa? Then maybe you can get some rest. You must be feeling pretty rough by now.”

“ _Ohhh_ , cocoa,” Ben said brightly, leaning forward from his place in the back seat. “You do not know how lucky you are.”

Klaus didn’t feel particularly lucky.

“Why do you hate me?” he asked, sighing dramatically as Diego pulled out of the parking lot and into traffic. “I’ve been attacked, I’m in heat...surely a tiny little aspirin couldn’t hurt.”

“You’re clean and you’re gonna stay that way.”

Klaus pressed his face against the side of the car window, enjoying the feeling of the cold glass against his fevered skin. Christ, how long had been in heat anyway? Mom might know, she used to mark his and Ben’s cycles in the calendar.

“I want a shower.”

Ben and Diego went very quiet.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Diego asked, the tenderness of his tone catching Klaus by surprise. His brother could be incredibly kind when he wanted to be, and when no one was watching, but usually, he was the poster boy for butch Mr no feelings.

“What’s there to talk about?” Klaus asked with a sigh as he pressed his injured arm against his chest. The pain was a constant, throbbing reminder of what could have happened to him -- what had almost happened…

“Well, for starters, what were you doing out on your own when you were in heat Klaus?”

 _Good question._ Unfortunately, he didn’t have an equally excellent answer.

“Do we have to do this now?” he asked, aware he sounded dangerously close to whining.

“You could have been killed.”

“Could have, should have, would have. The fact is I’m OK and that asshole... isn’t.”

“You know Diego’s going to track him down,” Ben said, his tone perfectly reasonable. Sweet Ben could be one scary son of a bitch when he wanted to be.

“Cracking skulls,” Klaus answered, wiping away the sweat beading on his forehead. He caught the way Diego kept glancing at him. “It won’t change anything.”

“You talking to Ben?”

“Always,” he said, looking over his shoulder. Ben smirked at him. “But also you.”

“No one hurts my brother,” Diego said angrily, his eyes fixed on the road. “Not ever. Especially not when you’re alone and in goddamn heat.”

Klaus thought of his life to date. He thought of all the times he had been alone and hurt, the times when he had been so out of his mind on drugs that he would have done anything for the next fix. The nights didn’t even make his top ten bad experiences. How fucked up was that?

“The life of an omega,” he said, laughing softly. “You get used to it.”

Diego slammed the breaks down so violently that Klaus was convinced they were about to hit something. He looked at the other man, his mouth gaping open when Diego caught his shirtfront and shook him. “You don’t ever talk like that,” he said, all kinds of pissed. “You hear me, Klaus? You don’t ever get used to that shit. No one gets to hurt you. Not ever.”

He whimpered despite himself. It wasn’t his fault -- he’d had a hell of a night and his reserved were completely depleted -- Diego shouting at him, angry at him, was too much to take. _Stupid goddamn heats._

The other man threw himself against the driver's door with a shocked gasp. For the first time all night he pressed his hand against his nose, trying to block the scent of Klaus’s very clear scent of distress.

“Jesus, I’m sorry,” he said, sounding horrified. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just -- I can’t hear you talk that way, Klaus. I just can’t.”

Of course he couldn’t, because by some miracle Diego didn’t think he was a complete dirtbag.

Diego was an idiot.


	4. Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small filler chapter :)

Klaus flopped down beside Vanya and snatched the remote out of her hand. He noticed the surprised look she gave him and flashed her a smile. “Boring,” he announced, changing the channel.

“I was watching that,” Vanya said mildly.

Klaus shrugged and kept flicking through the channels. “It was boring.”

“You don’t even know what was on.”

“ _Boooooring_ ,” he said, turning the TV off altogether and turning around until he was facing her. “Let's go out.”

She smiled very faintly. “Aren’t you supposed to be resting?”

Klaus waved around his injured arm with a flourish. “Because of this little thing? No way. I am ready and raring to go,” her smile widened and he smelled blood in the water. She was cracking. “Seriously _Vaaaaaana_ , I am so bored. I have been couped up in the house for almost two days. I feel like my brain is going to implode. I need fresh air. I need to talk to someone who isn’t an overbearing asshole with a leather fetish.”

Vanya actually snorted before she caught herself.

“What about me?” Ben said indignantly.

“You’re great,” Klaus said, noticing the way Vanya followed his gaze. “But still - outside?.”

She sniffed very delicately. “I can still smell a little heat on you,” she said, sounding apologetic and more than a little embarrassed. “Maybe tomorrow...”

He threw himself over her lap, essentially pinning her tiny frame to the couch. “If you don’t take me out right now there is a very good chance that I may actually die. Do you want my death on your conscious Vanya?”

“Jesus,” Five said, strolling into the room and taking them both in with a scowl. “Will you just take him out already. His bitching is giving me a headache.”

Klaus perked up immensely. “You want to come with us?”

Five’s expression turned suspicious. “Where are you going?”

“Coffee?” Klaus said, looking up at Vanya for guidance.

“I guess it couldn’t hurt,” she said, but despite her words, she sounded dubious. “As long as we don’t go too far. I don’t want Diego to worry.”

Klaus pursed his lips and threw a look at Five. “Is Diego the new Daddy around here?”

“You bet your ass I am,” Diego quipped, stepping into the room dressed like something out of an S&M convention. “What are we talking about?”

“We’re going for coffee,” Klaus announced happily.

Diego was already shaking his head. “Nope.”

“Who made you king of the goddamn world?” Five asked, phasing onto the couch and making Klaus and Vanya startle. “I want coffee.”

“So get some,” Diego growled.

“It’s broad daylight, asshole. And in case you hadn’t noticed, people tend to notice a thirteen-year-old driving a car.”

“So go with Vanya. You guys can bring Klaus back a coffee.”

Klaus stood up, sauntered over to his brother and danced around his bulk as he beelined for the door. “You’re not in charge of me, Diego,” he called over his shoulder.

He reached the car and decided to sit on the bonnet in protest. A couple of minutes later the others filed out into the courtyard. Diego sighed and unlocked the car door. “Get inside then.”

Grinning, the taller man slipped off the car and folded himself in the back beside Five. “So, waffles?”


	5. What I've always wanted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the fluff in the other chapter... that's over now :P

Beautiful -- he was so incredibly, devastatingly handsome, pretty really -- that mouth, fuck, those lips. Dante could spend hours watching him, imagining what it might feel like to sink his throbbing cock down that slender throat…

Number Four was, quite simply, the loveliest creature he had ever laid his eyes on. He was smart and articulate and tragically broken in every way imaginable.

At first, he watched out of pure curiosity. The seven children of the infamous Umbrella Academy were power personified. Famous, rich and actual heroes. Who wouldn’t want to be around them -- who wouldn’t want to be them?

Only, it became painfully obvious that the once famous children had grown into adults that were, at best, woefully dysfunctional. They stayed together out of a sense of propriety but their connection was weak and failing. The giant made matters worse by trying to control and orchestrate the others. A pity they didn’t acknowledge his leadership. He wasn’t their alpha, despite how desperately he wanted to lead.

In the end, and much to his disappointment he came to the realisation that the other’s were unimportant and unworthy of his adoration. All of them, except dear, sweet, broken Klaus. The omega was stunning and precious -- too good to be treated so abysmally by his awful, uncaring siblings.

Watching him became a hobby that slowly grew into an obsession. Dante knew it was wrong, that becoming too attached was unhealthy. He tried to stay away, he really, truly did, but the days he spent away from the academy left him in a void of want and depression that he couldn’t abide.

So he came daily, always watching, always close but never quite touching. It was everything, it was wonderful... but soon it wasn’t enough. He loved Klaus, he wanted him.

They deserved to be happy, together.

To his frustration, it quickly became apparent that Klaus had little intention of leaving anytime soon. In fact, one way or another, he always seemed to have one of his unworthy siblings in toe. Dante knew there had to be a way to separate them.

There just had to be.

 

************

Klaus groaned and reluctantly rolled out of bed. He could hear a commotion downstairs and tsked softly. “Any idea what’s going on?” he asked, looking enquiringly at Ben.

His brother shrugged, looking bored. “You were snoring.”

“I was not,” Klaus said in mock indignation as he sat up. “What time is it?”

“3 pm,” Ben said, shaking his head in clear disapprovement. “Did you have fun last night?”

Klaus tiredly rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and stood up. He threw his arms in the air and stretched languidly, entirely unconcerned that he appeared to be completely naked. “I feel like my heads full of cotton wool.”

“You let loose a little bit, huh?”

“Just juice,” Klaus said, feeling a little defensive. He had a sudden flashback of Vanya on the dancefloor, looking awkward but happy as she swayed to the music and Klaus plied her with compliments and encouragement. “I didn’t touch anything.”

“But you could have. It would have been easy to relapse,” he said, looking frustrated and more than a little annoyed. “Guilting Vanya to stay out with you was wrong, Klaus.”

“It’s not my fault she wanted to keep an eye on me. Besides, she had a great time.”

“You need to pace yourself. The temptation -”

“Stop fussing,” Klaus said, throwing on some pants and a long sleeve, sheer sweater. “Let’s go check out what all the fuss is about.”

He strolled out of his room and headed towards the commotion downstairs. He wasn’t surprised to find Diago and Luther going at it. He caught Vanya’s gaze and waved cheerily, hesitating when she frantically waved him away.

“What?” he mouthed, confused.

“You?” Luther suddenly boomed, his gaze locking on Klaus with a familiar look of fury that sent Klaus stumbling back. “Where is it? Where the hell is it?”

“Where’s what?” Klaus asked, genuinely perplexed as he continued to retreat. He met Diego’s gaze questioningly and gestured towards Luther. “Ughhh, a little help?”

“Don’t talk to him,” Luther bellowed, slamming his hand against the bannister and snapping one of the wooden spindles in two. “Tell me where you put it, you little thief?”

“Where I put what?” he finally shouted back, completely mystified as Diego attempted to insert himself between them.

“Back off, Luther,” the smaller alpha growled warningly.

“Yeah,” Klaus yelled. “Back off!”

“Where did you put dad’s ring?”

“You didn’t?” Ben asked, scandalised.

“I didn’t! Seriously, I haven’t taken anything.”

“Liar,” Luther snarled. “You’re a goddamn liar.”

Diego moved into action, running forward only to be knocked clean off his feet as Luther managed to hit him a glancing blow to the chin. He hit the ground hard and Vanya rushed to his side.

_Shit._

 

************************

 

He watched Klaus stumble back, his unplastered arm raised appeasingly as the giant charged towards him with his fists raised threateningly.

“I didn’t do it,” The slighter man cried, retreating backwards as the ape caught his wrist and dragged him onto this tiptoes. “It wasn’t me!”

“You’re lying,” the giant growled. “You always - always lie. You’re always after the next hit. Well not this time. Give it back, now!”

Klaus shook his head furiously. “I swear Luther, it wasn’t me,” the ape shook him so hard Dante was genuinely concerned he would break his darlings spine. “Jesus, let me go,” he shouted, sounding genuinely scared.

The Mexican picked himself back up then, taking in the room with a blank look that quickly morphed to fury. He rushed forward, rising up into an impressive roundhouse that sent the giant staggering and thankfully made him release Klaus’s wrist.

The omega crawled forwards on hand and knees, moving away from his fighting siblings with wide eyes. He turned on his back, taking them in before scrambling to his feet and bolting from the room and out into the main courtyard. He didn’t stop, sprinting down the road and into the street.

Dante followed close behind him, observing the omega with keen anticipation. Pretty Klaus had energy galore but possessed a pitiful amount of stamina. He slowed down after a few miles, limping pathetically. The little fool wasn’t even wearing shoes.

They walked for an hour, heading into the city at a snail's pace. Klaus was shivering by the time they reached a small, unassuming cafe. He hesitated before going in. The man didn't grab a coat in his rush to escape and his skin-tight trousers didn’t have pockets. It was easy to assume he didn’t have any money.

Dante moves around him, bending down to pick up a stone. He walked forward until there was only a few feet between them, threw the stone and waited for the omega to startle. He allowed himself to appear just as the other man started forward again and released a small grunt as they collided.

Klaus stumbled back with a quiet yelp of surprise, his arms windmilling as he attempted to keep his balance.

“Hey man, are you OK?” Dante asked softly, reaching forward to cup the omegas upper arms, steadying him. “I didn’t see you.”

“Yeah,” Klaus answered, looking a little flustered as he attempted to step back and realised he couldn’t because Dante wasn’t letting go. “Sorry man, sorry.”

“No problem,” he said, trying not to noticeably lean into the other man's space. “You, ah - you sure you’re doing OK?” He allowed his gaze to travel slowly over the omegas bear feet and back up to his wide, sparkling green eyes. “Is your alpha around? Can I call him for you?”

“Why do you assume it’s a he?” Klaus asked salaciously. When Dante just raised his eyebrows the omega smirked. “Anyway, thanks but I’m good,” he unsuccessfully tried pulling a little harder. The little dear wasn’t frightened, not yet, but he was beginning to sense something wasn’t quite right. “Seriously, thanks for the concern, but yeah...sorry for walking into you,” he visibly attempted to tug his arm free and frowned when Dante didn’t budge. “Can you let me go please?”

“I don’t think I should, not without contacting your alpha.”

“What century are you living in?” The slighter man guffawed. “I don’t have an alpha, asshole. Now get off me before I scream my goddamn lungs out.”

The street was fairly quiet; no one was watching. Dante used his power to push his invisibility, effectively cloaking them both from view. The omega didn’t notice, too invested in freeing his arm.

He pulled him closer, slapping his free hand over the smaller man's mouth when he tried to scream. “Maybe, if you had an alpha, you wouldn’t be walking barefoot and shivering in the middle of the street, Klaus.”

At the sound of his name the omega went into a frenzy, trying to use the entirety of his poultry body weight to break free. He started whimpering when he realised no one was coming to their aid, that no one was even looking at them.

“You have a choice Klaus,” Dante said, utterly reasonable as he spun the man around and wrapped an arm firmly around his waist, the other tight across his mouth. “You can fight and scream, in which case, in order to make you stop I’ll have to hurt you,” the omega flinched and went still. “Or you can be a good boy. You can be sweet and quiet and I won’t hurt a single hair on your precious little head. Can you do that for me, my lovely? Can you be quiet?”

A short pause before Dante felt a slight nod against his chin.

“Good boy,” he praised, moving his hand from the younger man's mouth and feeling him take a shuddering breath.

“Why isn’t anyone noticing us?” He immediately asked, his tone barely more than a whisper.

“You and your siblings aren’t the only ones born that day,” he said, speaking directly into Klaus’s ear and relishing in the way the little waif trembled in his grasp. “You’re not the only ones that are special.”

“OK,” the omega said, nodding his head almost frantically. “And what -- you want to get to know us? To join the academy? If so, I gotta tell you that you’ve grabbed the wrong guy. You need to talk to Luther, or Allison, they’ll be able to help you. If you let me go I can take you to them.”

“No need,” Dante said, moving the omega to face him as he drew out a roll of tape. “I already have what I want.”


	6. Drive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the interest. Super exciting.
> 
> New, small chapter up :)

He felt like he was floating, his mind fuzzy with the warm, familiar feeling of being buzzed. He wasn’t struggling anymore; he stopped when the brute threatened to break his other arm. Even drugged out of his gorge, he knew he couldn’t risk being crippled, especially when it was obvious no one could see him, let alone help him. 

“Hush,” his kidnapper tried to soothe, patting Klaus’s thigh like he had the right to touch him. “We’ll arrive soon.”

Memories of the last time he was abducted ran through his mind; the torture, pain and fear still fresh despite how much time had passed. Klaus tried to speak through the gag, jolting violently as he was carried down an alleyway towards a beat up, blacked-out van. The alpha dropped him to his feet, crowding against him as he drew out a set of keys.

“You have a choice now, my sweet,” he said softly, leaning into Klaus’s space in an attempt to intimidate with his bulk. “You can take a seat with me in the front and relax whilst we head home, or you can be troublesome, in which case I will tie you up and throw you in the back. What would you prefer?”

Klaus cried through the gag and viciously shook his head. He needed the lunatic to let him go. He needed someone to notice what was going on.

“I’m going to remove this,” he said, gripping the edge of the tape. “Do you promise not to scream?”

Klaus nodded his head urgently, desperate to have the damned thing off. He barely even flinched when the lunatic pulled the tape free, leaving him able to breathe and, finally, speak. “You know who my family are, right?” he said immediately, trying to look certain of himself despite the realisation that past time, nobody came for him. “Do you know what’ll happen when they find out? My brother’s power is throwing knives...but like really, really well.”

Instead of responding like an actual human being, the other man growled low in his throat, the sound threatening and vicious. Klaus instinctively showed his throat and squeezed his eyes closed, the realisation that he had pissed you off an angry alpha ringing in his hindbrain.

“Make your choice, Klaus,” the man hissed. “Front or back.”

“Front,” Klaus said, the fear of being in the madman’s company outweighed by the terror of being rendered utterly helpless. “I’ll go in the front.”

“Good boy,” the alpha said, smiling slowly and finally, finally, stepping back. He pulled Klaus to the other side of the car and opened the passenger door before pushing him down into the seat. “Stay.”

“Woof,” Klaus said, giggling before he caught himself. He was drugged. The asshole had drugged him. Klaus didn’t want it. He’d tried so hard to stay clean. It wasn’t fair that someone else was able to take the power to choose from him.

Just like that damn asshole that attacked him. Klaus was sick of it. He wasn’t a victim. Goddamnit, he wasn’t.

“You OK?” Ben asked gently from the back seat. 

“Oh yeah,” Klaus whispered, hunching in on himself as the lunatic got into the driver's seat.

“Do you know what he gave you?”

Klaus shook his head woodenly. “Feels...like I’ve been spiked. You remember that time in the nightclub...that guy?”

“Yeah, I remember. You gotta watch your drinks, man.”

Klaus nodded his head, feeling pretty solemn. It took him a minute to realise the van was moving. “I want to go home.”

“We are going home,” the lunatic said, sounding pretty sure of himself as he pressed his hand against Klaus’s knee. “You’re going to like it there, my sweet. I’ll keep you safe, fed. You’ll be looked after. No more of your families poison, their abuse and distrust. You won’t ever have to see them again.”

“I don’t suppose you care that I don’t want to go with you?” Klaus asked mildly. 

“You’re confused, beloved. You don’t understand your place in the world. It’s not your fault, you’ve never been shown the way.”

“The way to what?” Klaus giggled, biting down on his knuckles when the alpha glared at him. “I’m not who you think I am. I’m not a good omega, man. Honestly, you don’t want me.”

“You have no idea why I want,” the guy said, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. “You don’t understand anything.” 

“You’re not lying,” Klaus said, laughing again. He was about to drop off when he heard Ben viciously whisper his name. 

“Look out,” he cried, seconds before the car hit them.


	7. Muted

He was OK, _he_ _was_ _OK_. He looked down at the arm across his chest and back up at the lunatic. The man’s grey eyes were fixed on the steering wheel, his breath coming in even, deep breaths.

“I -” Klaus started, unsure what he was going to say when those eyes locked angrily on him.

“Shut up,” the alpha snarled, causing Klaus to shrink back against his seat. “Don’t move.”

Klaus nodded shakily, desperate to do anything to make the other man get out of the car. He gasped audibly when, within seconds, he just...disappeared. Klaus instantly reached for the door handle and almost jumped out of his skin when a force knocked him back against the seat.

He felt warm, moist breath against his cheek. “I told you not to fucking move.”

Klaus couldn’t see him, but the alphas' scent was thick with aggression. He felt disorientated and confused. Had he hit his head? Was it the drugs?

“Don’t try to leave the car again.”

He nodded, desperate to be rid of...of whatever it was looming over him.

“Good boy,” the voice whispered seconds before he felt a wet tongue drag across his cheek.

Klaus held his breath, his entire body trembling with the need to bolt. The door opened then, and finally, he felt like he was alone. “Can you see him?” he whispered, gripping the edge of the seat, too frightened to even turn around and face Ben.

“I think he’s gone,” his brother whispered back, despite the fact no one but Klaus could hear him. “Are you OK?”

“I think so,” he said miserably.

“Do you -- I think he’s like us.”

“A Libra?” he asked stupidly.

The door opened then. Klaus tensed, waiting to be growled at or grabbed. He blinked owlishly when he realised he was looking at Five.

“Can you walk?” he asked, grabbing Klaus by the arm and tugging. “We need to go.”

“He told me not to move,” Klaus said blearily.

He saw Five’s expression darken as fingers clicked in front of his eyes. “Are you high?”

“Yeah,” Klaus giggled, registering the exasperated look on his brothers face seconds before he flew backwards, thrown by an unseeable force.

“He’s invisible,” Ben said urgently. “Tell Five!”

“Invisible,” Klaus gasped, and then, louder. “He’s invisible.”

“What are you prattling on about,” Five demanded, staggering to his feet. “What -”

He fell back again, hitting the ground hard enough to make him yell out. He looked up blearily, clearly confused before transporting into the seat next to Klaus. He locked both the doors and started searching frantically for the keys. “We need to get out of here.”

“I told you he was invisible,” Klaus said, flinching as the window next to the driver's seat shattered and broke. Five phased outside, drew back his leg and kicked hard into thin air. The sound of a body hitting the car registered seconds before Five was opening the passenger side door and tugging on his arm.

“Get out, Klaus. Get out!”

Klaus instinctively responded to the urgency in Five’s tone and staggered out of the car. He felt his brother’s smaller hand grasp his own and then they were running,

“You need to move faster,” FIve urged, the frustration clear in his tone. “I can’t carry you.”

Klaus heard the sound of gunfire seconds before FIve cried out. He staggered to the ground, his eyes wide and shocked as he pressed a hand against the hole in his chest. Their eyes locked and then other man disappeared.

“Shot. He was shot,” Klaus said, looking desperately at Ben. “Holy shit, is he gonna die?”

“Goddamnit,” his brothers ghost cried. “You’ve got to run.”

Except his legs didn’t want to obey him. He stumbled to his knees, hissing in pain as he felt a hand fist in his hair and yank his head back. “I told you to stay in the damn car,” the alpha snarled before reappearing in front of Klaus's kneeling form. “Get up.”

“You shot my brother,” Klaus said, staggering to his feet. The lunatic wrapped a beefy arm around his waist and dragged him towards the car. “You could have killed him.”

“He deserved little better,” the man said, opening the back of the van door and dragging Klaus inside. “You’re lucky I don’t beat you within an inch of your life.”

Klaus whined as his arms were taped behind his back and around his ankles. The alpha shoved a piece over Klaus’s mouth and over his eyes, effectively blinding and gagging him.

“Be good Klaus,” the alpha snarled.

Klaus heard the sound of doors closing and then silence.


	8. Know me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhhh, thanks for all the feedback. It feeds me :)

The bastard drugged him again. He woke up, _chained to a bed,_ and his first reaction was to scream his goddamn lungs out.

“No one's gonna hear you,” Ben said gently, inching closer. “Don’t panic, but we’re kind of in the middle of nowhere.”

“Oh sure,” Klaus answered, more of a sob than actual words as he struggled up into a seating position. He felt weak and unstable; an obvious side effect of whatever he’d been spiked with. “Why would I panic?”

“Who are you talking to?” a disembodied voice demanded seconds before the alpha just _appeared_ at the foot of the bed.

Klaus yelped and attempted to scramble back. Only, the chain around his ankle hardly had any give and yanked him painfully to a halt. “Get the hell away from me!” he yelled, his voice cracking as the man continued to stare at him.

“Who were you talking to?” he repeated, deathly calm.

Klaus shook his head helplessly.

“Was it your brother? The dead one?”

“Who the hell is this guy?” Ben asked softly.

“Is he here now?” he asked, following Klaus’s gaze. His expression darkened when the smaller man didn’t answer. “I asked you a question. Is your brother here now?”

“Y-yeah?” he said, turning to look fully at Ben. He almost jumped out of his skin when a heavy hand landed on top of his chest, pressing him flat against the thin mattress. He instinctively lashed out but his wrists were grabbed and pinned down with embarrassing ease.“Get the hell off me,.” he screamed, making the stupid mistake of drawing back his teeth and meeting the alpha's eyes.

The resounding crack registered seconds before the pain, the force of the slap leaving him momentarily stunned. He tested his jaw, half convinced it was dislocated.e.

“Have you calmed down?” the alpha growled, pressing his lips against Klaus’s throat. “Or do you intend to challenge me again?”

“What are you gonna do about if I do?” Klaus asked quietly, not quite brave enough to meet the other man's eyes as he felt the hand still gripping his wrist tighten painfully. “Keep decking me and I won’t be pretty for much longer.”

“There are plenty of ways to hurt you and still keep you pretty.”

  
Klaus shuddered and closed his eyes. “Can you please, _please_ get off me?”

“I will,” the alpha said easily despite pressing more of his weight into Klaus. “But first, you’re going to listen to what I have to say. Are you listening?”

Klaus nodded woodenly.

“Good. That’s good Klaus. You know, I’ve been watching you for a long time. I know all about your abilities. I know what you can do, the power you can yield through your brother.”

“Yeah?” Klaus asked, daring to meet the other man's eyes only to be instantly snarled at. “Then you probably know how dangerous he is -- how dangerous I am.”

The alpha laughed. “Oh my darling, do you really think you pose a danger to me?”

“Ben could rip you limb from limb,” Klaus said, feeling a little strength return. He wasn’t helpless, far from it in fact. Ben was a superpower, if Klaus could harness his power they would be unstoppable. “Here’s the deal, you let me go right now and no one else needs to know. Just - just get off me!”

“I could do that,” he agreed. “Or I could make your predicament clear. You’re chained to the bed and I don’t have the key on me. If your brother attacks me you’ll remain locked in here and you’ll slowly die of dehydration. Unless of course, you want to use your brother's powers to rip your own foot off, in which case you’ll likely bleed to death.”

“Christ,” Klaus said, turning to briefly look at the other man. “We could, could force you. Torture, or -”

“Come now Klaus,” the man said, his tone unbelievably condescending. “We both know you don’t have the stomach for that sort of thing. Besides, your brother's powers are hardly subtle enough for torture,” he released one of Klaus’s arms and grabbed his chin. “Turn him on me and we both die. Am I clear?”

“As crystal,” Klaus murmured, meeting Ben’s distressed gaze. “So what’s next? You gonna get down to the raping?”

“Would you enjoy that?”

Klaus choked on the laugh that bubbled into a sob. “I really wouldn’t.”

“No?” the man asked, his eyes intense. “What would you like? You must be thirsty? Are you hungry?”

Klaus was willing to agree to anything if it meant the lunatic would get off him. “Can I have a drink?”

“May I,” the man said, bizarrely reminding him of Pogo.

“Yeah - yeah, may I have a drink. Please?”

A slow nod before, _finally_ , he removed his bulk from Klaus’s goddamn personage. “You haven’t even asked my name,” he said, sitting back to observe him. “Aren’t you curious?”

Klaus’s first instinct was to persuade him not to divulge any more informy. If he told Klaus too much there was no way he would even think about letting him go. “I’m good. Seriously, I don’t need to know.”

“But you do need to know, Klaus. We’re family after all.”

Klaus shook his head. He didn’t want to hear.

“It’s Edward,” he said, smiling brightly. “But you can call me Ed.”

“Fabulous,” Klaus said, turning to Ben. “Fan-freaking-tastic.”

.


	9. Anguish and tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is longer than most of my chapters. Hope you enjoy :)

“We're the only ones here,” Ben said, sitting on the floor next to the bed and drawing his knees up to his chest. He lent his head back against the sheets, showing the long column of his throat in a breathlessly casual show of submission that could only reasonably be shared among omegas. “That’s got to be a good thing.”

“How do you figure?” he asked miserably, trying to ignore the throbbing pain his jaw as he lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. Jesus, Ed really clocked him. The force of the blow was a little overkill, especially when he was already crippled and chained to the goddamn bed. Maybe he was attempting to lay down the law, show Klaus who was boss. He didn’t know what he expected any better, especially when it came to a psychopathic alpha with a clear dominance complex. 

“Well, if he did this sort of thing often there would probably be...other spirits hanging around.”

Klaus opened his eyes and blinked owlishly. Jesus. “That makes me feel so much better, brother mine.”

Ben had the decency to look a little guilty. “I’m just saying, not having loads of victims running around is a good thing.”

“Yeah, it means to keep me for a while.”

Ben nodded slowly. “How’s your jaw?”

“Fabulous,” Klaus muttered, curling into himself. He didn’t, unsurprisingly, like his new prison. It was dark and morose, the carpet a dirty brown and the walls a dingy grey colour. It was painfully dull. “It’s not broken, so…”

“He’s kind of a knot-head, huh?”

“Understatement of the decade,” Klaus muttered, shifting on the mattress in an attempt to find a comfortable position. He could still smell Ed’s unpleasant stink on the sheets -- from where he had kissed Klaus’s throat near his scent glands -- and barely resisted the urge to gag. “I wish I could touch you,” he said a little wistfully.

Ben had always been soft, despite the monsters that resided in his chest. He would have made someone a devoted partner if he’d lived long enough to find someone. Klaus wondered if he would follow his brother's footsteps. He supposed, at the very least, he had have experienced true love before he died. 

Ben sighed and turned around to look at him. “It’s going to be OK, Klaus. The others will come for you.”

“They didn’t last time,” Klaus said, flinching a little as he heard heavy footsteps above them. The asshole was up and about. He must have gone out for the day. Maybe he had a day job, though Klaus suspected he spent his days stealing rather than a 9-5.

“Things are different now -- they’re different now. They’re going to come, they know you wouldn’t just disappear, I swear. It’ll be OK.”

“Isn’t it always?” Klaus said softly. 

Despite everything, he must have dozed off. He opened his eyes slowly and registered Ed’s scent seconds before he realised the man was looming over him. Klaus groaned and attempted to shuffle back, coming up short when the chain pulled his on his ankle and he couldn’t retreat any further.

“How’s your jaw?” Ed asked, placing a water bottle down next to the bed as Ben hastily moved out of the way.

His brother didn’t like it when people phased through him. 

There was probably bruising. It felt swollen and hot to the touch. “It hurts,” he said honestly. “What do you want?”

He tensed when Ed growled, the sound fierce and threatening. Klaus tipped his head back before the other man could react with violence, showing his throat and forcing his body to remain still and lax. He felt fingers run over his cheek and circle around his throat, fingertips closing around his windpipe and applying mild pressure. 

Ed softened, just as he’d expected he would. “You should know it isn’t my intention to hurt you. I won’t hit you again.”

“Good to know,” Klaus said, swallowing and trying not to tremble. He was painfully aware that all it would take was a few minutes of squeezing and that would be the end of him. It wasn’t a nice feeling, especially when he had absolutely no idea who he was dealing with. “I, uh - I need to use the bathroom.”

“Yes, alright,” Ed said, his eyes a little glazed as he continued to stare down at him. 

“Right, except it’s actually becoming something of a pressing issue.”

He was getting pissed off. It was all good and well that Ed reacted well to submission, but he wasn’t about to piss himself just to appease the other man. 

“Ed,” he said softly, daring to meet the other man's eyes. His head was still tipped back and his body was lax, which meant the alpha thankfully didn’t react with violence when their gazes met. “I need to use the bathroom. Please.”

“Give me a minute,” he said, finally stepping back. He dropped the bag he was carrying on the bed next to Klaus and rummaged around until he pulled out a long, thin length of chain. He sat back to look at the smaller man, his expression thoughtful as his fingers reached out to skim across the cuff around Klaus’s ankle. “I’ll swap this with a longer chain. You’ll be able to reach the bathroom,” he gestured to the door a few feet away. “You won’t get much further than that.”

“Yeah, OK,” Klaus said, resisting the need to pull his leg towards himself as he remained flat of his back. Jesus, he hated it. He couldn't fathom acting the delicate little omega longterm. He was bound to fuck up at some point. It was goddamn inevitable. 

He wondered if Ed would take the shorter chain off first, but it turned out the knothead was smarter than that. He wrapped the new chain around Klaus’s foot and then padlocked it against the foot of the bed. He took the other chain off then, placing it in the bag and moving it to the foot of the stairs, presumably out of Klaus’s reach. 

“Thanks,” Klaus said, trying to keep the bitterness out of his tone as he stood up. He was surprised to realise he and Ed were of a similar height, though the other man was considerably broader through the shoulders and arms. He wasn’t Luther big, obviously, but he had enough muscle that Klaus knew it would be a struggle to take him one on one. He didn’t know what sort of fight training the other man had, but if he was instructed it would make things ten times harder.

“Go ahead,” Ed said, staring at him with frightening intensity. If he wasn’t an obvious lunatic that was holding Klaus hostage, he might have found the other man attractive. They were the same age, obviously, and he really did have remarkably striking green eyes. His hair was dark and flawlessly styled, his skin lightly tanned. He wore jeans and a dark green sweater.

So yeah, if not for the fact that he was insane, he might have been looker.

Klaus stumbled past him, glad to put some space between them as he rushed into the bathroom. He couldn’t close the door all the way, the chain wouldn’t fit under the door, but it was enough to offer a little privacy.

The bathroom was painfully basic. There was a toilet, a small skin and, sadly, no window. Klaus took a quick piss before washing his hands. He stared at the door after he was done, not quite able to make himself go back into the other room. 

Ben appeared next to him then, appearing out of thin air. After so long together, it no longer mad Klaus jump. “You doing ok?”

He nodded. He didn’t want to make a noise in case it brought the alpha's attention down on him. He knew it was ridiculous but his instincts were telling him that if he stayed small and quiet he wouldn’t be noticed. It was a stupid evolutionary quirk that had probably got omegas in the millions murdered over the years.

“Klaus,” Ed called, his voice worrying flat. “Come out please.”

“Just a sec,” Klaus said, meeting Ben’s gaze as he pushed his hands through his hair. 

“I don’t want to have to go in there to collect you, Klaus.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, still not moving. “OK.” 

“Come on Klaus,” Ben urged, his expression absolutely wrecked. “We’ll go together.”

Klaus opened the door and forced himself to step back into the room. He didn’t approach the bed though. He wanted to keep space between them.

“You stink of distress,” Ed said, as if it was Klaus’s fault.

“Yeah, sorry about that but I can’t really control it.”

“You smelled like stress before, but it’s worse now.”

“What do you mean before?” Klaus asked, a little too sharply if the way the alpha’s lips drew back over his teeth was any indication.

“Your family caused you distress. You would talk to them and then, more often than not, you retreated to your room and you would smell so painfully hurt. It used to kill me, having to watch you go through that. The ape was the worst. Every conversation, every interaction caused you pain. I hated him for it. I still hate him.”

Well, that was fucking terrifying.

“I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve got issues, we all do. If you wanted a healthy, functioning omega you’ve kidnapped the wrong guy,” he gestured down at himself with a flourish, aware that he was trembling and probably looked like shit. “This, right here, is me on a good day.”

“That’s because no one has ever taken care of you the way you deserve, Klaus,” Ed said energetically with a frightening intensity in his eyes. “You’ve been left to struggle for so long that you don’t even understand what it means to be looked after any more. But it’s OK, I’m here now and I promise, I’m going to take care of you. I’m going to cherish you like the wonderful, enchanting creature you are,” he stepped forward as he spoke, using his bulk to press Klaus flat against the wall of the cellar. “I’m here for you Klaus, now and for the rest of our lives.”

He didn’t have anywhere to go. He wanted to push the other man away but he knew that would be incredibly stupid. His broken arm was held between them, the pressure causing some discomfort. He realised he was breathing heavily, the sound barely audible over the blood rushing in his ears. 

“You’re so incredibly pretty,” he murmured, pressing his lips against the spot near Klaus’s scent gland. “So lovely. Really, just beautiful.”

“Please,” Klaus gasped, his uninjured hand fluttering with the need to push him off. “Can you just - can you back up?”

“You’re mine now,” the alpha said with the certainty of a man that had complete faith that his actions were pure.

“Please,” Klaus said, his voice cracking. He hated begging, hated being so completely and utterly powerless that he had to resort to pleading.

Ed’s nose scrunched up, having clearly scented the entirety of Klaus’s distress. “Is your brother here now?”

Klaus’s eyes flickered over Ed’s shoulder and momentarily took in Ben’s concerned face. He nodded hesitantly.

“Is he always here?”

“Usually, yeah.”

Ed shook his head, his expression unreadable. “Can you send him away.”

“Honestly,” Klaus said, laughing breathlessly despite the knowledge that there was absolutely nothing funny about what was happening to him.”I’ve been trying for years. He isn’t going anywhere.”

“Hey,” Ben said with mock indignation. “Rude.”

“I’m not sure you’ve tried all that hard. Still, that sort of control can come in time, I’m sure. For now, I’m going to leave the two of you alone. I’ll bring your dinner down shortly and then you can rest. How does that sound?”

Nice of him to pretend to give Klaus a choice when they both knew he was absolutely powerless. Still, if it meant the other man would leave Klaus was willing to do just about anything.

“Good boy,” Ed said, pressing a light kiss against Klaus’s lips that quickly turned into something hard and demanding. Klaus tried to shift away and a hand curled in his hair, forcing him to stillness as he felt a knee thrust between his thighs, knocking his legs apart and throwing him off balance. He tried to shove the other man off and that growl came back, startling him into silence.

When he finally pulled back Klaus was panting. He felt like he was seconds away from having a panic attack. He felt hands against his cheek, wiping away tears he hadn’t realised he had shed.

“You’re pretty when you cry,” Ed said thoughtfully. 

Klaus didn’t know what he was thinking when he drew back and headbutted Ed in the nose, but he sure as hell didn’t regret the action as he watched the alpha fall back with an almost shockingly comical look on his stupid face. “Don’t touch me,” he hissed, hand outstretched as he stumbled away. “Don’t -”

He didn’t get to finish, because Ed decided to rush him and things turned a little fuzzy after that.


	10. Why?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have had a killer, bitch of a bastard of a week...so apologies for the small chapter :P

Five stumbled to his feet, flickering in and out of existence as he clutched his chest. His chest. which was _pissing_ blood. “Do something, you idiot,” he spat before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed face first on the carpet. He hit the floor with a dull thud and didn't attempt to get back up again/ 

“Holy shit,” Diego gasped, dropping his coffee as he stumbled to his feet. “Mom? Pogo? _MOM_?!”

Grace stepped into the room, rushing in that elegant way of hers. "What's all the fuss about?" she asked before her eyes immediately locked onto Five and her usual serene expression morphed into grim determination. She knelt gracefully beside his small frame and checked his pulse. After a moment she cleanly ripped his shirt in two, her hands fluttering over the wound. “Pick him up and follow me, won’t you dear,” she said, straightening and hurrying out of the room.

Diego approached his brother with caution, afraid to touch him and cause more damage. He just looked so young when he was spitting acid at everyone -- he looked breakable and delicate. Diego took a deep breath and picked him up, cradling Five’s small body in his arms. He tried to ignore the steady pool of blood on his shirt as he stood up and followed Grace to the infirmary. She was already changing into surgical scrubs when he laid Five on the operating table and stepped back.

“Where's Pogo?” he asked, feeling helpless as she cleaned her hands before laying out surgical equipment.

“I’m here, my boy,” the old ape said, stepping into the room, already dressed for surgery. His eyes swept over Five before resting on Deigo. “What happened?”

“I have no idea. He just appeared and collapsed. He’s been shot.”

“Yes,” Pogo said dryly. “I can see that. Do you know where he was before he was attacked?”

“You know what he’s like, he doesn’t tell anyone shit. He could have been anywhere.”

“Quite. Fetch your siblings, won’t you? They’ll need to be told.”

Diego nodded numbly when something occurred to him and he paused misstep. “He disappeared after the fight. He and Klaus, they’ve got a weird relationship. The little troll cares about him.”

Pogo’s expression became even more troubled. “Where is your brother?”

“I haven’t seen him since this afternoon. I went after him, but you know how Klaus can be when he doesn’t want to be found. I figured he’d just show up again when he was ready.”

“Pogo,” Grace said softly as she prepped Five for surgery. “If we don’t act soon we’re going to lose him.”

“I suggest you find out where your siblings all are,” Pogo said, ushering him out of the room as he turned his attention back to Five.

Diego immediately texts the others. They all had phones, everyone but Klaus of course, and within a few seconds, he received confirmation from Luther and Allison that they were on their way. He rushed upstairs and stepped into Klaus’s room, disappointed but not surprised his brother was nowhere to be seen.

His room was surprisingly clean, probably because Grace still cleaned for him, and devoid of everything that made Klaus the man he was. If it wasn’t for the knitting needles that sat neatly on the bed Diego might have thought he’d entered the wrong room. It was weird, given that Klaus didn’t have anywhere else to stay. Without the academy, he was essentially homeless. Why didn’t he try to make space more him? Why had Diego never noticed before?

He looked down at his phone when it started to vibrate and a picture of Vanya lit up his the screen.

“Is everything OK?” she immediately asked when he answered.

“Five’s been shot, and I think...I think Klaus is in trouble.”

There was a long pause on the other side of the phone. Other than Allison, Vanya was probably the closest to Klaus and Five. The realisation they were hurt and missing must have been upsetting for her.

“Is he going to die?” she asked softly.

“I don’t know yet,” he answered truthfully, dismissing Vanya’s gasp of panic. “You need to get here, like now. We have to find Klaus.”

“How do you know he’s in trouble?” she asked, sounding a little teary. “Luther really scared him. The whole room stank of his distress after he was gone. Maybe he’s just keeping his distance.”

“He doesn’t have anyplace else to go,” Diego said, shaking his head even though she couldn’t see him. “He wasn’t even wearing shoes when he left. If he was just cooling his jets he’d be back by now. Somethings up.”

“OK,” she said eventually, slowly. “I’m already on my way. Don’t do anything until I get back.”

“I won’t,” he promised, putting the phone back in his pocket and just...waiting. He hated it, hated not being in action. He missed Klaus’s presence, his constant, contagious energy.

Fuck, why didn’t he go after him when he ran out, why did his stupid lizard brain make him clash against the only other alpha in the room. Stupid, so goddamn stupid. He should have been protecting his brother, he should have been protecting his...he should have been protecting Klaus.


	11. Visitor

He drifted in and out of consciousness for a while. He saw Five at one point, bleeding and pale with a hole through his heart. He was convinced that Ed had succeeded in killing him and wept bitterly. Ben tried to convince him he had a fever and he was seeing things. Klaus did feel pretty out of it; whatever Ed had doused him with left a nasty hangover. Between that and the beating, maybe he was imagining things. Maybe Five really was just a figment of his imagination. 

Then again, the little bastard did have the body of a thirteen-year-old boy, and extraordinary or not, a bullet to the chest was usually fatal. He could have died -- he could have been killed because he was trying to help Klaus -- Christ on a cracker, if he really was dead, after everything he had survived, Klaus would never be able to forgive himself. 

“You’re shivering, Klaus,” Ben reminded him, sounding exasperated. Klaus was aware his brother had been repeating himself for a while and he was still lying in a heap on the floor. There was a small pool of blood beneath him, mostly from the gash in the back of his skull where he hit his head after Ed attacked him. He lifted shaking fingers and gently probed his scalp as he tried to make sense of what he should do next. “You need to move.”

“Easy for you to say,” Klaus grumbled. 

“You’re gonna get ill if you stay here. You know I’m right.”

“You don’t suppose they think I’ve run off again, do you?” Klaus asked, his voice less than a whisper. He couldn’t be sure that Ed wasn’t still in the room, silently watching and just waiting for his opportunity to pounce.

“They won’t forget you, Klaus,” Ben said, settling on the floor beside him. “I promise they’re looking for you. I know you don’t believe me, but it’s not going to be like before.”

“Is he still in the house?” Klaus asked, changing the subject.

“I think so,” Ben said gently. “Do you think you can make it to the bed?”

Klaus really wanted to. Even a thin shoddy mattress was better than sleeping on a freezing cold floor. He managed to struggle to his hands and knees and drag himself to the pallet. He settled on top of the mattress and cried a little as he tried to relieve some of the strain on his, well, his everything.

“What would you do if you could be invisible?” he finally asked, aware he was babbling but desperate to fill the silence. 

His brother settled next to him, lying on his back but keeping a careful distance between them. “I am invisible, Klaus.”

“Burn,” Klaus said without much vigour. “Must be nice...sometimes, at least.”

“You’re really insensitive sometimes, you know that.”

Klaus laughed into his pillow. “Give me a break, I’m kinda going through some stuff.”

“It has its drawbacks,” Ben said eventually, sounding a little wistful as he drew his arms above his head. “You wouldn’t like it much,” he smirked a little. “You’d miss all of the attention.”

“Is it my fault I draw the eye?” Klaus asked in mock indignation. He drew a little closer to Ben, aware of the way it made his brother's pupils dilate. He knew it did something to spirits when they were in close proximity to him, but he figured Ben was used to it. “It’s freaky, never knowing if he’s in the room, watching.”

“I don’t think he’s here now,” Ben whispered back, despite the fact no one could hear him. “But I can go check for you if you want.”

Klaus immediately shook his head. “Don’t leave me,” he couldn’t muster the energy to feel mortified. He didn’t want to be alone.

“Yeah,” Ben said slowly, nodding. “OK, I can stay here with you,” his eyes tracked over Klaus’s face and he frowned. “He really did a number of you, huh?”

Klaus shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”

Sadly, he didn’t argue the point. Ben knew better than anyone what Klaus had been through over the years.

“Oh for Christ sake,” Klaus groaned, curling into himself in misery when he saw the little girl standing in the corner of the room. Of course, they found him -- they always found him. “Are you seeing this?” he asked, avoiding the kid's eyes as she repeatedly hummed a tuneless melody. He hated it when they were kids.

Ben looked over his shoulder and shrugged. “She’s been here for a while. I wondered when you were going to notice her.”

“Awesome, anyone else due to join the party?”

“I don’t think so. She must have died closeby,” Ben looked a little uncomfortable. “You don’t think…”

“Jesus, I hope not.”

“Why don’t you talk to her?”

Klaus closed his eyes tightly. “I don’t want to.”

“Klaus, if she’s here because of that phsyco we need to know.”

“Ben, I don’t want to.”

“Klaus!” Ben snapped, sounding exasperated. “Ask her.”

“Fine,” he grumbled back, too tried to raise his voice. “Hey, hey kid. Yeah, little girl. Yeah, I can see you.”

She turned bright blue eyes on him and blinked slowly. “You see me?”

“I sure do princess,” he said, trying not to flinch when she moved jerkily towards him. “My names Klaus. What’s yours?”

“Penny,” she said, walking up to him until there was less than a hands-width between their faces. “No one’s been able to see me for a really long time,” she confessed solemnly.

“That must have been really tough. Why didn’t you - ugh, why didn’t you move on?”

“Move on where?” she asked, genuinely confused. He felt his heart break for her a little then. She couldn’t have been more than eleven, and judging by her sparkly scrunchie and a checkered dress she must have died sometime back in the nineties. He knew time passed differently for the dead, but to have been alone for so long, with no one to talk to, must have been terrifying. 

“Do you remember what happened”?

“What do you mean?” she asked, the lost expression in her eyes turning to something cold and terrified. 

“Did someone do this to you?”

“I - I don’t like to talk about it.”

Klaus turned to Ben and shrugged. “So, how old are you?”

“Ten,” she said, squinting. “How old are you?”

He laughed despite himself. “I’m thrity.”

“You’re pretty,” she told him, reaching out to touch his hair and flinching back when her fingertips passed straight through him. She snatched her hand back and hugged herself tightly. “You’re not like me,” she said, accusing.

“No,” Klaus agreed. “I’m not like you. Not yet.”

“What does that mean?” she asked, sounding frightened.

Klaus looked around the room, knowing he’d have no way to tell if Ed was watching him. “A bad man took me. He brought me here and locked me up,” Klaus gestured at the manacle around his ankle. “Do you know who I’m talking about?”

She shook her head and stepped back. “I don’t want to talk about it,”

“But -”

“I said I don’t want to talk about it,” she screamed, seconds before she disappeared. 

“Well that went well,” Ben said brightly.

Klaus hissed at him.


	12. Happy

Five woke slowly and was immediately aware of the throbbing pain in his chest; pain that was clearly being dulled by morphine. He looked across the room, taking in the medical equipment and the body of his second brother, slouched and soundly asleep in an uncomfortable looking armchair.

Deigo looked wrecked. Clearly, whatever had happened after Five passed out had caused some distress -- the stink of it was still fresh in the air -- and the man’s face, even in sleep, was full of anxiety.

He felt a frizzle of irritation. Five was the one _shot_ , not him. And Klaus was the one that had been abducted. What did Deigo have to be distressed about? “Why aren’t you out looking for him?” he snarled, noting with some respect the way number two jerked immediately into wakefulness, one hand already gripping a knife. “How can you just lie there?”

“You’re awake,” Diego said, entirely unnecessarily. He ran his free hand tiredly over his face.“How do you feel?”

“Like I was shot. Have you found Klaus?”

“Not yet,” Diego said, unconsciously spinning the knife around his fingers with admirable skill. “We’ve been looking for him since you arrived, but so far no luck. You up for telling me what happened?”

“He was abducted. Taken by someone like us.”

Diego sat up a little straighter at that. “What do you mean, like us?”

“Someone with abilities. A man, around thirty years of age, Caucasian with dark hair and tanned skin. Approximately 6”3 and one-ninety pounds. He was driving a 2018 Chevrolet Express Cargo Van 2500. I have the plates -- call your cop friend and have her -”

“Whoa, whoa,” Diego said, standing up with his hands held out appeasingly. “What abilities, Five? What are you talking about?”

“Invisibility. At least, that’s what Klaus said. It makes sense, given the way they suddenly disappeared. I was tracking them and between one moment and the next, they were just gone. Luckily I knew where he was keeping the van and was able to track it. I saw that Klaus was inside and hit them with the car.”

“You hit them when Klaus was in the car,” Diego sputtered. “And did you say invisible?”

“Did I stutter?”

His brother glared but didn’t snap back. He probably felt a little bad because of Five’s life-threatening injury. “Was Klaus OK?”

“He was fine. I made sure he wasn’t injured.”

“How did the abductor manage to hit you?”

Five foolishly tried to find a more comfortable position and winced when it caused a sharp stabbing pain in his chest. “He was invisible, idiot. I can’t dodge what I can’t see. Now, do as I say and call the police officer. Whoever took him...he was dangerous. We need to get Klaus back before that bastard hurts him.”

 

*********************

He regretted marring number fours pretty face. The bruises would heal in time, but they were an ugly reminder that he had caused his precious boy injury. There wasn’t any real need to beat the omega, not when he was so woefully incapable of fighting back. Beyond the headbutt of course, but that had been an act of pure desperation. For the most part, his pretty was not a violent creature. Certainly, after the beating he received, he was unlikely to attack a second time.

Dante could watch him for hours. He enjoyed the way the omega slept, enjoyed the way his scent became sweet and soft with slumber. He always smelled so afraid when he was awake. He couldn’t wait for the day the omega no longer smelled afraid.

Klaus sat bolt upright, looking shockingly frightened. He glanced around widely, his wide hazel eyes full of uncertainty. “Ben?” he whispered, clearly on the verge of tears.

Dante decided to show himself and took little satisfaction in the way the omega immediately reeled back in shock. “Hello, Klaus.”

“Don’t,” he said, arms held out in front of himself in terror. “Don’t come any closer.”

Dante didn’t like being told what to do, especially by an omega. He felt his teeth pull back and released a warning growl. Klaus flinched in response but surprisingly drew his lips back in an answering growl.

“Do you really want to do this again?” he asked, resisting the urge to prowl forward and physically force the omega to submit.

“I could do this all day,” Klaus said in a soft, tremulous voice.

“Is that so?” Dante asked as he stepped closer and watched Klaus’s bravado dissolve into unease. “So you want to fight some more?”

He was met by watery, frightened eyes but despite the obvious stench of fear he didn’t look away or show his throat. “Not much of a fair fight when I’m strapped down with a broken arm, is it?”

“No,” Dante agreed as he settled down on the mattress, careful not to touch. “I don’t suppose it is. So why don’t we avoid it.”

“I’m all for avoiding a beat down,” Klaus said with fake gaiety. “Maybe back up a little and we can avoid another tussle.”

“Klaus,” Dante said with an admirable amount of calm. “I think we need to discuss the rules and clear up any misconceptions you may have about your place in my home. First and foremost, you live here now. I am something of a traditional alpha and I expect a certain amount of obedience. I’ve watched you enough to know you’re a very sweet man, but you do have issues with authority. You will need to address these issues if you wish to avoid further punishment. And let me be clear, further punishment will not necessarily involve physical correction. I take little pleasure in hurting you.”

“But you’re so good at it,” the omega muttered tersely.

“You will listen when I speak. You will submit in all things. You will not be violent, you will not raise your voice. You will not fight me, Klaus, and in return I will love care for you in a way you’ve never experienced before. You’re going to be so happy. _We’re_ going to be so happy together.”


	13. Spaces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've updated a couple of stories today and seem to have showers on the mind. Maybe because mine is broken...ughhhhh
> 
> Anywhoooooo, new chapter :P

Klaus stayed very still as he watched Ed remove the manacle from around his ankle. He was finally untethered and his hindbrain was urging him to bolt. Ben was watching intently, his body shifting restlessly. Klaus looked at him helplessly. Should he run? Was this his only chance?

A hand grasped his hair, dragging his head back and exposing his throat. “I know what’s going on inside that pretty head of yours. If you try something stupid I swear I’ll make sure you regret it, Klaus. You know I’m stronger than you are.”

Not an idle threat, given how readily he’d already beat the shit out of him. An arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him flush against Ed’s side as he stood up and half carried/half dragged him up the stairs leading out of the basement.

“Where are we going?” Klaus asked, trying to find his footing as he was manhandled out into what looked like a perfectly normal hallway. He gripped Ed’s wrist and dug his fingers in. “Hey- hey, just tell me. Where are you taking me?”

“You need a shower,” the other man said, grunting as Klaus started to struggle.

“I don’t need -- I’m clean. I’ve been using the sink,” having a shower meant getting naked and getting naked was such an incredible, undeniable no-no. “No, I don’t want to.”

“I don’t give a fuck what you want, kid,” the alpha said, despite the fact they were the exact same goddamn age. “You stink and you need a shower. Now stand up or you’re going to hurt yourself.”

They were approaching what had to be the bathroom. Klaus kicked his legs up desperately, pushing off against the walls and making Ed stagger under his weight.

“Do you really want to do this?” he asked, squeezing hard enough to make Klaus grunt.

“OK, just wait a second. I’ll take a shower, I’ll get clean, but I want to go in there alone. I don’t want you coming in with me.”

“This isn’t up for debate,” the alpha said, taking him into a tiny bathroom with a small, undoubtedly locked window. “Strip.”

“Get out and I will,” Klaus said, standing a little straighter when the other man started growling at him. “Seriously, we can do this all day but I am not taking off my clothes.”

“You don’t think I can just make you?”

“Probably,” Klaus said, showing his teeth. “But I sure as hell won't make it easy for you.”

Instead of attacking him like he expected the other man stepped back and gave Klaus a considerating look. “What will you do for me if I agree?”

Klaus blinked a few times, inwardly groaning. “What do you want?”

“I want you to suck my cock,” the alpha said without missing a beat.

“Of course you do,” Klaus answered hollowly. He shook his head, considering. “Just a blow job?”

“For now.”

“OK,” he said, raising his hand when the other man smiled. “But I get to keep the door closed and you’re not allowed to come in here for like, I dunno, ten minutes.”

Ed’s eyes flickered to the window and back to Klaus. “OK, but first you need to strip and give me your clothes.”

Klaus rolled his eyes and stepped out of his clothes. He handed them over to the other man and waited as the perv blatantly stared at him. He knew he looked nonpulsed but there was no mistaking the frantic beating of his heart. Ed didn’t need to stick to their agreement, he could rape Klaus and there was nothing the Omega could do to stop him, and they both knew it.

“OK,” the big man breathed, his eyes trailing back up to Klaus’s eyes. “Go ahead. Ten minutes.”

Klaus closed the door behind him and locked it for good measure. He turned on the shower, pleased it was loud, maybe even loud enough for what he needed. He stepped up to the small window and examined it critically. _I can fit_ , he thought, _I’m almost sure of it_. He tried to open it but it was unsurprisingly locked. Klaus turned to the towel on the rack, picked it up and wrapped it around his fist. He knew he wouldn’t have long. As soon as Ed picked up the sound of broken glass he would realise Klaus was attempting to escape and he would try to stop him.

It didn’t break on the first hit and Klaus hissed in pain. He drew back his fist and tried again and again. On the fourth punch, the glass shattered. Klaus unwrapped the towel and used it to wipe away the remaining shards as best he could. He ignored the blood pouring down his arm as jumped for the window and started to wiggle his way through. He felt a hundred tiny punctures slice into the skin on his belly and back, tearing skin as he squirmed his way through the tiny window.

“Klaus,” he heard Ed scream from the other side of the door. “I swear to god, let me in right now or I will beat the ever loving shit out of you.”

“Fuck you,” Klaus screamed back as he flopped out of the window and landed on his face outside. The first thing he noticed was how cold it was -- really, stupidly fucking cold. Klaus staggered to his feet, searching desperately for any signs of civilisation. There, in the distance, he could see lights. He didn’t think twice, sprinting through fields and fuck knew what else as he headed to what he could only hope was someone's house.

Seconds later Ed staggered out of his front door and honest to god screamed. Klaus didn’t wait for Ed to notice him -- he freaking bolted -- ignoring the pain in his feet as tore over fields of god knew what towards the other house.

“I’ll fucking kill you,” Ed screamed seconds before a bullet hit the ground inches from Klaus’s feet.

“Christ on a cracker,” Klaus gasped, staggering and almost falling flat on his ass. “Help,” he screamed, figuring he was close enough to the other house that whoever lived there might actually hear him. “Help! Please, help!”

He didn’t register the pain at first, not until his leg buckled beneath him and he collapsed. “Fuck,” he gasped, looking at the hole in his leg with wide eyes. “Help!” he screamed, using all the air in his lungs in a desperate attempt to be heard. He looked back up frantically and realised with a chill of fear that Ed was nowhere to be seen. “No, no, no,” he whispered, edging backwards in terror. “Get away from me. Get the hell away.”

He didn’t see the blow that knocked him on his back. He raised his hands defensively and then the world turned black.


End file.
